What They Fought For, 1861-1865 by James M. McPherson

4/10

I read this little book over a recent weekend. It is a brief 69 pages, so I felt like I could quickly knock it down. And boy did I ever.

It is this interesting little book that this McPherson fellow put together after going through thousands of letters written by civil war soldiers on both sides. It is interesting to learn of the motives each side had for this war. As well as what each side thought the other side was fighting for. The main takeaway for me was learning that the main thrust of the war wasn't really centered on the slavery issue per se. The South was fighting for what they saw as government intrusion upon their freedoms and liberties. The North was fighting to keep the Union together. It wasn't until after Abe Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation that the slavery issue came more into focus. Plus, it wasn't received warmly by every soldier on the North. Some of them were upset because they thought they were fighting for the preservation of the Union and not the abolition of slavery. But over time, the majority of the Northern soldiers began to embrace this idea alongside preserving the Union.

I am a big civil war junkie, so I found it an entertaining and educational read.

Quotes:

- From Samuel Johnson: "How is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of negroes?"
- And then Honest Abe: "The perfect liberty they sigh for, is the liberty of making slaves of other people."
- And then a conclusion by McPherson after reading thousands of letters: "Confederate soldiers...seemed unconscious of the paradox."